Casino workers approve new contracts

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This article was published 21/12/2023 (695 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Workers at all three Winnipeg casinos have voted in favour of a new contract, averting a possible strike.

Unifor said late Thursday night that the tentative agreement was ratified with 93 per cent of the votes in favour. The tentative deal between Local 144 and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries was reached Monday.

The local represents more than 750 workers at the McPhillips, Club Regent and Shark Club casinos.

Members voted earlier this month to go on strike shortly after midnight this Saturday if a deal on a new contract wasn’t reached.

The employees, who had been without a collective agreement since June 2022, include casino dealers, cashiers, slot attendants, security, customer service and grounds employees as well as skilled trade workers.

“It was a long time coming. They were without a collective agreement for a year and a half, but we’re proud of our members for standing strong and getting us a strike mandate so we could get the collective agreement that they deserve,” Unifor national representative Suzanne King said Thursday night.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union announced Thursday that nearly 200 food and beverage workers at two casinos voted to ratify an eight-year contract the night before.

The collective agreement includes wage increases ranging from approximately 16 per cent to more than 40 per cent. The first four years of the deal are retroactive to a period that included wage increases of 0 per cent to 1 per cent.

The MGEU workers had been working without a contract since 2020, when many members were laid off as casinos were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bargaining for the new agreement began in September.

“The significant wage increases for the next four years reflect how poorly this workforce has been treated,” MGEU president Kyle Ross said in a news release Thursday.

“Now, these members will be able to finally catch up and keep up with the soaring cost of living.”

The new contract for food and beverage workers also includes increased shift premiums and signing bonuses ranging from $600 to $1,800.

adam.treusch@freepress.mb.ca